CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There weren’t many dry eyes outside of George Washington High School Wednesday evening, as an entire community celebrated the life of one of their own.

Maddox Potter

Maddox Potter, 16, died last week after an over year-long battle with cancer. Potter made the decision to stop chemotherapy treatment when he realized the limitations on remaining options and elected to spend time with his family at home.

“He was brave and wise well beyond his 16 years,” Maddox’s mother, Jennifer Potter said Wednesday.

The George Washington student body and dozens of supporters all lit candles near the school’s football field to honor their classmate, often referred to as “MadDog.”

“I think there’s a lot of love here tonight,” GW student Valentina Chacon said. “We all know he’s gone on to a better place, but we all have his memories still with us.”

The love of over 100 members of the Patriot community was felt during the vigil Wednesday, and Potter, who spoke addressed the crowd with a speech about her son, said her family is amazed and thankful for the support.

“To say we’re grateful is woefully inadequate,” Potter said. “We are so amazed by how loved Maddox is and how loved we are. I don’t think we could have ever known that without something like this happening.”

Maddox succeeded both in the classroom and on the golf course. Potter had an avid love for the game of golf, playing on the GW golf team during his freshman year after winning back-to-back county championships with John Adams Middle School.

Within the halls of George Washington High, Maddox was known as a friendly boy who was helpful and often considerate. Outside the confines of the school, Maddox was known as a reserved teenager that was strong in his faith.

“He wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to do good,” Potter said. “He was good in school, he was good to his friends, his was good on the golf course, he was good at home. He was just a good boy, He made being a parent easy.”

One of Maddox’s best and oldest friends, Riley Crislip, addressed the crowd and gave his personal testimony of Maddox. Crislip told of when the two met early on in elementary school and shared a story of Maddox showing him the ropes on the golf course when he had been showing frustration.

Crislip says Maddox taught him lessons he’ll continue to carry with him into adulthood.

“Maddox showed me how to better care for people and kind of love your neighbor in a sense, so I think I’m going to continue to do that for as long as I can,” Crislip said

On the day Maddox died, Friday, January 24, Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin proclaimed it “Maddox ‘MadDog’ Potter Day.”

Potter says her son’s death brought the area the sense of togetherness it needed.

“For some reason, this community needed this, needed a reason to come together, and our boy was the one that did it,” Potter said.